The League and nearly 500 organizations joined together to defend the National Education Association's right to advocate as Congress and the administration continue retaliating against advocacy groups and silence organizations advocating for the people they serve.
Defending the National Education Association’s Right to Advocate
Dear Member of Congress:
Whether we’re from cities, suburbs, or rural communities, we all depend on public schools and the educators in these schools who support our children and their learning. Teachers, parents, and students rely on nonprofits, including unions, as vehicles to express their views, petition the government, and advocate for their families. Every community benefits when educators can advocate for strong public schools, when our children have access to the resources they need to learn and thrive, and when civil society can serve as a check on power.
Yet recent actions from Congress and the administration have been devastating for students, parents, and teachers. Instead of fixing the problem, some in Congress are attempting to destroy one of the leading organizations advocating for public education, for good jobs, and for children — the National Education Association (NEA). This is part of a broader assault on any independent voice that may oppose the actions of this administration — including law firms, media, universities, nonprofits, charities, and labor unions — by stripping federal funding, launching investigations, and threatening tax-exempt status.
Attacks on educators and their union, including the authoritarian attacks we’re seeing from the Trump administration’s efforts to destroy public education, will only serve to hurt students across this country. The administration is working to tear down those who push back brick-by-brick. Today, they are focused on the NEA. Who will it be tomorrow?
The administration and their allies in Congress have a track record of targeting unions and advocates in an attempt to silence our collective voices. If we let that happen, the children in our communities will suffer. We all must unite together against attacks on our schools, on our children, and on the free exchange of ideas.
When the government uses its power to punish organizations for their advocacy, it attacks freedom of speech and freedom of association, threatening any person or group who wishes to educate the public and make demands of elected leaders.
The NEA represents more than 3 million educators in more than 14,000 communities across every state in America. These are the teachers who help your child learn to read, the counselors who support struggling students, and the support staff who keep schools running safely. When you attack their right to advocate for students, educators, and public education, you are attacking the voices of millions of working families who depend on strong public schools.
This assault doesn’t start or stop with the NEA. It impacts any organization that challenges the administration’s agenda of concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few while dismantling the public institutions that serve everyone. While the NEA fights for smaller class sizes, adequate school funding, and support for teachers, this administration has:
- Withheld $6.9 billion in federal education funding that pays for reading specialists, mental health counselors, and support for English learners
- Systematically dismantled the Department of Education, eliminating programs that help recruit teachers to high-need schools
- Shuttered civil rights enforcement offices that protect students from discrimination and ensure schools serve all children of all races, religions, backgrounds, and abilities
- Attacked collective bargaining rights that help ensure quality educators can afford to stay in the profession and serve students long term
For these reasons, we call on Congress to reject government retaliation against advocacy groups and oppose efforts to silence organizations advocating for the people they serve. This protects the constitutional principles that guarantee all Americans’ right to organize, advocate, and petition the government.
The American people deserve a government that serves all of us, not one that silences those who dare to speak up. We urge you to join us in defending these fundamental principles. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact Kanya Bennett, managing director of government affairs at The Leadership Conference, at [email protected].
Sincerely,
See attached document for full list of signatories